An epic journey through bright circus lights and jet-black crow's feathers, Mortlock really stands out as a masterwork of Teenage horror-fantasy. Ideal for fans of Darren Shan, the story follows Josie from her knife-throwing act under the Great Cardamom's watchful gaze, out into the world of friends and foes. Forced to team up with her estranged and annoying brother Alfie, they must unite to uncover the mystery behind Cordamom's demise and piece together the story of their father. I really can't promote this book enough! Josie and Alfie's relationship is hilarious and touching, the struggle to find their heritage is peppered with danger, and the numerous twists and turns in the plot keep you guessing right to the end.

Absolutely wonderful book. Riveting read,full of suspense, excitement and gore from page one. There's a secret hidden in the past of two siblings and a man seeking a grisly revenge with the aid of some very strange "crow-like" ladies. Maybe not for the slightly squeamish reader. Definitely 5 stars.

What do you look for in a book? When it comes to Young Adult and Teen fiction I look for something to take me out of the world I know, to scare me, thrill me and take me on a journey. Mortlock, by Jon Mayhew, does all of this. Josie is a knife-thrower in a magician's stage act, the brother she never knew she had, Alfie, is an undertaker's assistant. When three terrible Aunts descend on the girl's house and imprison her guardian, the Great Cardamom, his dying act is to pass the Josie a note with clues to the secret he carries to his grave. Cardamom was one of three explorers on an expedition to locate the legendary Amarant, a plant with power over life and death. Now, pursued by flesh-eating crow-like ghuls, brother and sister must decode the message and save themselves from its sinister legacy. So a journey right? Yes but not just a physical one. Sure you get catapulted from an Indiana Jones like tropical and eerie adventure to the grim streets of Victorian London then flown to Essex marshes before slodging your way to an unusual circus. Sure you then get ferried back to London before popping in to a graveyard but, as I said, the journey is not just a physical one. In Mortlock Jon Mayhew uses a beautiful story telling talent to keep a consistent style whilst simultaneously sliding us through many genres which will seem familiar. Whether this is something which was done studiously or which came naturally I can’t say but what I can say is that it creates a rich tapestry of a tale. From the vaudeville like theatre setting, which will thrill any fans of Julia Goulding’s Cat Royal series, to a Sherlock Holmes style victorian London, then on to the Roald Dahl style ‘Aunts’ who soon become far more scary H.P Lovecraft or Edgar Allan Poe style characters. Of course, during this time, the cast of ecclectic minor characters are rather Pratchetesque making you sometimes feel as if Victorian London and Ankh Morpork are one and the same! Onto the Essex marshes and a horrific house with shades of Joseph Delaney’s Spook series and then to the circus which had me picturing Neil Gaiman’s Coraline. Am I saying that Mortlock is derivative? NO NO NO - Not at all! What I am telling you, dear reader, is that if you like fantasy or horror or adventure in the style of any of the authors that I have just mentioned then you will love this book. That, however, is not where the journey ends. Both Alfie and Josie, our main characters, journey from the peaceful solitude of thinking that they are only children to the usual minor irritations of having a sibling and ending up with a very believable brother/ sister relationship (you can tell that an experienced dad speaks here!). Along with their journey towards having a new family life they journey through the past they never knew they had and the relatives they, at times, wish they didn’t have. My only sadness is that I couldn’t have read more about the minor cast. It is one of my weaknesses that I often fall in love with minor characters and in the case of Mortlock my absolute favourites were the theatre bouncer Ernie, with his impressive size and tiny hat, and Josie’s good friend Gimlet, who all at once felt like something snatched from a Terry Pratchett book or a colourful character from Moulin Rouge. Sadly I don’t think that I will be reading much more about them but to my delight I found (from the lovely Absolute Vanilla interview with Jon) that Jon’s next book will concentrate on a minor character from Mortlock called Edgy Taylor.